Crossing the border with Blue Jays beat reporter Jordan Bastian.

Gibby's Grandma gets right to the point

BOSTON — During the Blue Jays’ off-day on Monday, manager John Gibbons took some time to head about a half-hour north of Boston to visit with his 96-year-old grandmother, Mary Boyson. Knowing her grandson’s team just endured a rough six-game losing streak, Boyson got right to the point.

“She’s still pretty sharp,” Gibbons said with a smile. “She said, ‘What the hell’s going wrong with your team?’ I said, ‘Good question.’ She said, ‘Are you going to get fired?’ I said, ‘That’s another good question.’ I didn’t expect her to hammer me. I thought she might give me a hug or something.”

Gibbons is a Texan through and through, but he does have a little Boston blood flowing through his veins. Both of Gibbons’ parents lived in Beverly — not too far from the hub of Red Sox Nation. It just so happens that Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi — a Minor League roomie of Gibby’s in their days in the Mets farm system — also lives in Worcester, Mass.

Gibby also joked that Grandma Boyson advised him to shake up his lineup, which featured David Eckstein in the No. 2 hole and Aaron Hill bumped to the No. 5 hole for the opener in Boston. IF there’s a series opener tonight, that is. It’s drizzling and the tarp’s on the field about an hour before game time here, but the forecast would seem to indicate that they’ll get this game in.

The cramped visitor’s clubhouse is not the place a team battling a nasty flu bug would want to be and Toronto sent another victim back to the team hotel today. Shaun Marcum — scheduled to start on Friday at home against Chicago — is the latest to fall prey to the contagious bug.

Gibbons also noted that left-handed reliever Scott Downs was available out of the bullpen on Tuesday, if needed. Downs has been battling some minor soreness in his throwing shoulder for the past few days, but Gibbons said the pitcher was feeling better. A trip to the disabled list doesn’t appear to be on the horizon.

On another note, I just finished reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and I would advise others to do the same. It was a fantastic read and a book I struggled to put down until I was finished. I picked it up after thoroughly enjoying McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, which reads like a screenplay for the film. I’ve since moved on to Scott Smith’s The Ruins and blazed through half the novel yesterday, thanks to lengthy delays at the airport.

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the road was a pretty good book…alot of people didn’t like it…I personally liked the story and its uniqueness…however it did have its faults like every other…it got too repetive at points, but he definately portrays a different style of writing in the book (no quotations, no names). Excellent use of imagery and suspense and a definate short book…i guess a 3-4/5 stars would suit it, what do you think?

Is Gibby taking advice from his grandmother (no offence to anyone) but he is the MANAGER he has to make the decisions, his decision to let others make the decision is NOT a good decision or the right one for that matter….

Stewart’s been in the 2 hole most games, and yet now against a lefty which Shannon is hitting .364/.467, Abner puts Eckstein in. Ecksteins hitting .214/.313 against LH’s. Why not Stewart or Hill? Abner’s grandmother is smarter than that.

Why would Rios lead off ? That makes very little sense to me. With a lefty going tonight, Stewart should leadoff, he hits lefties well. Hill should be in the 2 hole.

Red Sox have hit Halladay at Fenway over the last couple of seasons. Pitchers weather tonight, rain and all that good stuff.

Lester is a very frustrating pitcher to watch. He doesn’t throw enough strikes out there. I think he thinks too much out there and should trust his stuff. Second time around the order has gotten him in trouble a couple of times as well. If you don’t throw strikes, your night in the big leagues will be a short one. Toronto has given Boston fits the last few years. Both teams being swept by Tampa Bay, whould have thunk ? Not me.

It sounds like Gibbons’ grandma should be in the dugout, lol. Jays need some tough love. She sounds feisty, that is great to here. You have to love those older folks, alot of spirit. I wouldn’t mess with her.

Did you see the article on SI today? One of the writters picked 6 GM’s who could be fired over the next little while. JP was on the hit list. I assume the Clemens/McCready story was covered in TB. What are your thoughts on it?

Alot of pressure on J.P. and Gibbons. The owners have spent the $$$$ and they want results. I did not see the S.I. atricle.

I really don’t have much opinion on the Clemens saga. Who knows what is true and what is b.s. Time will tell I guess.

22 years ago, Clemens struck out 20 Mariners at Fenway. It was a great night at Fenway. Attendance that night was 13,414. Clemens was supposed to start in K.C. 2 days before but it was rained out. Amazing to think that he did it twice.

Tampa’s bullpen has the lowest e.ra. in the A.L. I wonder how long that will continue. The Rays have done this without Kazmir. Kazmir will return on Sunday at Boston. The Rays definetly have there fair share of good young talent. I think they’ll fall short but could end up with a winning record. I thought at the begginning of the season, the Rays would win about 78 games. If I had to take a guess now, I would say 82 or so.

I still think the Jays will hang around and make a push. There pitching is very good. When you have good pitching, your in every game. If the Jays hit with guys on base, they would definetly have a great shot for the playoffs. It is a very long season as we know.

Look at the Marlins of 2003. They fired Torborg and brought in McKeon and the Marlins won it all. Nobody saw that one coming.

HARRYPOTTER: On a five-star scale, The Road has got to be a 4.5 or 5 for me. It was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read. I really liked the lack of punctuation, though No Country for Old Men had me prepared in that regard. It’s definitely an aquired taste, but once you get into the flow of the book, you hardly notice — at least that’s how it was for me. I also enjoyed the lack of names. The bond between the father and son was the heart of the story and names didn’t really matter. Maybe it’s easier to identify with a character and play the “What would I do in this situation?” game if you’re void of things like names. The style of McCarthy’s writing is definitely different, but I find it’s a nice break from the cookie-cutter style that we’ve grown accustomed to with many novels. Anyway…

I expect they’ll file charges against him. Boston has always been a problem for Halliday. Manny and Ortiz have owned him from time to time. I didn’t realize Lowell had been out, what was the problem? Hey have you seen Jed Lowrie play yet? I hope we see him this series, I had hoped JP would have tried to do a deal to put him in a Jays uniform. He certainly looked good in AAA last year.

Lowell hurt his wrist on the first play of the game against the Tigers, his glove hand. Lowell has hit Toronto pitching pretty well. Lowell is loved by everyone and why not. I’m glad he is back with Boston. Philly offered more money but Lowell didn’t want to leave Boston. Sometimes in life, it is not about the money, lol.

I like what I have seen from Lowrie. A switch hitter and he can play 3 positions. You have to love his versatility. No way Theo was going to deal Lowrie to Toronto, sorry to inform you gsumner. He could be there s.s. next year. Lugo does have 2 years left on his contract after this year, a tough contract to deal.

Lugo does hurt the Sox D. He’ll commit 20 errors or so. Lugo will make the dazzling play but his throws can get him in trouble at times. I don’t have much confidence in him out there in the field. Everyone else in the infield is outstanding. Youkilis, Lowell and Pedroia not many better than those guys with the glove.

Rolen is outstanding at 3b, a rocket for an arm. McDonald is very good at s.s. as well. I also like Hill out there, he is solid all the way around.

I’m glad Reed Johson is gone, he was a Red Sox killer. Johson seemed to eat Boston pitching alive. Wells is known to go deep at Fenway as well.

Bosox
Rolen is outstanding, much better for us than Glaus. A lot of our competitors are happy Johnson is gone. With Macdonald in, I think our infield defense is about as good as it gets. Our biggest problem is Abner; we won’t win with him as manager.
Freedom
Wells should have been charged an error on that play. I think if he picks it cleanly, He’d thrown out Ortiz at the plate. Tough loss for Halliday, Im sure he’s pissed.

Completely unbelievable. You need to feel sorry for Doc. does he need to grab a bat now to get some runs. And for the love of GOD, why is Gibbons leaving our pitchers in so long. We do have a bullpen right???? Why not use them.
Doc did not deserve this.
A shake up needs to happen. JP gone? I think Gibbons needs to go. He is far to laid back, the jays need someone to ride them and get them back on their games.
What is the answer?

Gsumner, I would agree with that. I heard before the game he has a 281 – 281 overall record since taking over the jays.
I guess if Ted is satisfied with just being average then keep him. Lets be honest 281 – 281 record is nothing to even right home about. this team needs to reach to the next level and gibbons is NOT the gut to take them there.

Not sure if I would blame this all on Wells. However, the last play he bobbles, completely symbolizes the season. Lack of focus! lack of intensity, and lack of passion.
The team is what the manager is… Do you see a fire in Abner. NOPE.
Mediocrity is what this team is going to be about, until somthing changes.

Wow, i havn’t been reading this blog for a long time, and i will now that i see your back GSumner. This Blog totally died and people thought you were hurt or something.

What do you think of the A’s ? I know the Rays are going to be good, but the A’s have traditionally gotten stronger as the season progresses but now that they have a hot Frank the tank, huge depth in the minors and a very capable pitching staff i think they could very much take advantage of a struggling central division. Seeing how Greg Smith does tonight i think will definetly help show how Oaklands pitching will do against the Angels.

306/Garry
I agree with you. There’s no intensity. I think these players know Abner screws up resulting in little chance of winning. I’m sure they asked themselves the same question I did about tonight’s game-why is Eckstein hitting in the 2 hole? They’ve seen this incompetent management too long. What I don’t understand is why isn’t JP doing something. This team has a lot of talent. Great pitching, great defense, and a strong lineup. Maybe we don’t win, but we sure are a hell of a lot better than were playing.

Dave
Thank you for your comments, I took off for 3 months over the winter. Oakland has what we don’t have, strong management. Their GM is one of the best. He’s able to see potential in players others discard and their minor system is good, because they draft really well. Case in point, they dump Zito, San Fran sign him for 128 million and today demote him to the pen, and are still on the hook for the ridiculous contract.
Although I never thought they’d be this good, they just might be. I’m not sure Thomas has much more left, so I’m not sure how much he’ll help them. It became apparent when Texas was here, they simply threw him fastballs on the inner half and he couldn’t catch up to them. Now that might still be spring rust, or it might just be age-time will tell.
Tampa Bay is for real, they added nicely to their pen this winter and could be a serious dark horse to win.

Garry/Cory (306)
Can’t agree with you more. This team has so much talent and they are not showing an ounce of it. How long is to long before something gets done.
The blessing here is that so far this division has not been running away from us. Lord knows they should be by the way we are playing.
If the jays are serious about winning, they need to as the saying goes…. “S_ _ _ or get off the pot”.

You know the other biggest mistake JP has made as Gm is the signing of Burnett. They are paying this guy to much money.

306
Don’t look at our division only, we will not beat Boston. We can only look at the wild card race and right now we’re 5 back, going to 5.5 tonight and have 9 teams over us. We don’t have the luxury of waiting too much longer. Assuming we need to win 94 games to win the wild card ( last year it was 96), right now we’d have to go 83 and 52 or .610 for the balance of the season. If we continue to struggle in May, with the schedule we have, we will be gone before the end of May. There’s precious little time to make a move.

But even tonight, we’re still screwing up. Eckstein batting 2nd-how dumb is that. We don’t appear to take winning tonight’s game seriously enough.

The Thomas signing was a huge mistake. I don’t think Burnett was. Look at what Zito, Melche and Lilly got. Burnett could make more someplace else next year-OR be trade bait for us in about 20-30 days if we keep playing like we are.

I think we miss Johnson a lot, he was a scapper and spark plug, maybe what we’re missing.

I’m not sure which managers are available. Maybe it’s time we search and send JP a list. The only guy in the minors I’ve heard anything about is the one who manages Auburn, who’s won the division like 6 years in a row. But Auburn is a long way away from MLB.

the jays are killing me. totally wasting my time. i think doc wants to pitch complete games thats why they didn’t pull him tonight. wells to me is the worst investment the jays have made – horrible pr guy, horrible arm, mediocre bat – and this is the man this team is built on. I doubt he could have got it to the plate, but would have been nice to see an effort. my mid-life crisis ladies softball team would have shown more of one. i am going to stop watching I swear. maybe I’ll give them one more night. thursday I’ll stop watching for good.

Garry and I came up with that nickname for Gibbons last year. He reminds us of Lil Abner of Yokum fame. The real question is who’s brighter. lol

Wells should not be hitting in the 4th hole, just like Eckstein shouldn’t be hitting 2nd, he should be hitting in the bottom 3. Vernon puts too much pressure on himself and when he does that he consistently tries to pull everything and hits those soft ground balls. When the pressure goes away he hits to all fields and is a really good hitter. Vernon should either be hitting 3rd or 5/6th.

Wells’ defense doesn’t look good this year (not to mention his bat). The guy’s range seems decreased and he’s bobbled a few balls so far this year. Hope he gets it together quickly.

This team is in need of someone who can drive in runs. They seem to be getting on base fine (either via single or walk), but that’s about it. It seems like they can’t score runs if they are not helped by the opponent’s mistakes.
I understand the logic of having Rios in the leadoff spot (I like having some power in that spot), but right now, we need someone to drive in runs in the middle of the lineup. I’d rather have Rios hit in the 3 hole and Rolen in the 4 spot. Maybe we’ll see this format soon enough, since the Jays’ lineup changes every freaking day.

This is getting ridiculous and everyone is too scared to realize what the solution is. This team is built to win, right now. They need a power bat, a left handed power bat, that can change this offense from top to bottom. Go and get Barry Bonds. It’s that easy. JP doesn’t seem to realize that he will be jobless at the end of the year if this team continues to play the way it does. Trust me, the players want Barry, the manager would definitely want Barry (there was more than a couple managers this offseason who spoke out in wanting him), and the fans would tolerate him for a season if it meant WINNING.

The biggest drawback management has in Bonds is that they feel he could be a bad clubhouse presence and the negative fan reaction. Well right now the clubhouse is in shambles and the fans are losing their minds after such high hopes for the season. Management is willing to pay 8 million dollars to have Frank Thomas, a guy who was hitting half his weight and refused to platoon for the good of the team, to play elsewhere, but refuse to pay a motivated Bonds maybe 4 or 5 million a year.

And for all Bonds baggage you can never say he isn’t motivated. Yes, he can be a jerk, but he wants to win, he is always driven, and the Jays need that. So the choice is simple, either a crazy summer of Bonds and the possibility of a pennant chase or another summer full of empty seats and fan apathy.

freedom, I agree that Doc will leave this team when his contract is up .
These guys need to play together , as a team . Bringing Bonds in will not fix that, it doesn’t matter what his numbers are or how much he costs . If he was capable of “fixing” a team , he would have fixed the Giants . His agent may have acquired about playing for Toronto but I think it was only because he is out of work and they ( his agents & the players union ) are trying to determine if there is collusion to keep him out of basbeball.

Garry,
You asked about Gaston, I believe he was in the running to manage the Tigers or the White Sox and he came down to the final out but as we know lost out on both jobs . I believe he was also offered several coaching jobs but turned them down . He did work for Godfrey for awhile as an assistant . I wonder if he would have the same fire if he managed today . I believe he is in his mid 60’s now . He was certainly loved by the fans and his players, not so much by Ash obviously……he fired him

Barry Bonds isn’t a solution. Indigo is right, this team isn’t gelling. These guys played like a team in 2006, Thomas came in 2007 and they haven’t been the same ever sense. Bringing Bonds in will only cause distruption, and questionable contribution. In San Francisco, Bonds demanded and got a complete corner of the clubhouse to himself. Signs were put up identifying the space as Barry Bonds. Players exhaled when he left. Bonds has never won a world series; he has no desire to win, his desire is about Barry, not the team and never has been. The man is a self serving circus. He’s never been a team player. We just got rid of a guy like that in Thomas, Bonds is worse.

Hallelujah…….. Finally someone who knows what they are talking about. The difference between San Fran and us is Bang on what you said… THIS TEAM IS BUILT FOR WINNING NOW!!! San fran wasn’t in the same situation very much during Barry’s tenure there yet he still almost carried them all the way. Bonds played 15 years for the Giants and was signed to several contracts, so they obviously didn’t think he was that bad with his teamates. This is all a bunch of crap created by the media because he wouldn’t give them the time of day. Don’t forget the Giants made the playoffs 4 times during that time. Alot better than w’eve done the last 14 years( how about ZERO ). Players actually don’t mind a little when Mega Stars sometimes get preferential treatment as well (ie. his own corner in the dressing room). A ROD does get his own SUITE when the yankees are on the road. Bonds would make our lineup the most dangerous in baseball and without him it is just average at best. Anyone who doesn’t think Barry Bonds would make this team infinately better should start watching other sports or find a new hobby…..Iv’e never heard in all my life such iggnorance than thinking the greatest hitter since the “BABE” doesn’t make the Toronto Blue Jays a much better team. The greatest thing about Bonds is that he is ready to go. As someone pointed out a few days very intelligently he is not about timing and if were signed today could be in the lineup batting cleanup and hitting homeruns by the weekend. Don’t buy in to the media…… most of them went to community college at best….. most of them know very little about sports. This site is a good example: Jordan make a post and rarely comments thereafter unless it is about a book or a movie that has nothing to do with sports. Just look at his post to Harry Potter up at the top here……….Maybe he would enjoy being a movie critic or writing book reports than writing about the JAYS?

This TEAM ( operative word ) is built for winning now (your words ) so why do we need to bring in X , whether it be Bonds, Arod or Sheffield it is not going to make the rest of this team suddenly cohesive. This “team” has more problems than hitting , they are not working together as a unit. If pitching is on then hitting is absent . Maybe you need to stick to golf , tennis or bowling since they are one person sports because you seem to have a problem with the concept of team sports . One person does not make or break a team.
Jordan does a great job , is always professional and when asked a question always replies. What is wrong with him being personable, showing us other aspects of his character . Read the other mlb blogs , they all talk about things other than baseball . We are all human and have other interests.

The Yankees have thrown money at players for years trying to fix their problems and it hasn’t won them any titles. This year they choose to go with players from within . They will having growing pains but will be a better team for it … maybe not this year but in years to come . If the Jays are built to win now, then there is no need for another bat or to throw more money away .
I think letting go of Johnson was a huge mistake, he is a real gamer, a true player and was a sparkplug for this team. JM is probably one of the best defensive shortstops and if the rest of the bats did their job his offence would not be in question . He may not have the offensive power but he can lay down a bunt as good as anyone out there . He knows how to play small ball , something that has been lacking with this team and something thats needed to compete with Boston and New York

I didn’t think we were here to make friends. I have enough friends then to concern myself about “aspects of other people’s lives here”. This is a baseball BLOG and should be kept talking, discussing, debating BASEBALL!! and BLUE JAY! issues. I could care less what movie Jordan goes to see when he is on the road. As far as other Blogs….I don’t care about them nor do I intend to read them.

Who said make friends, I have plenty of those but not all of them like baseball. The problem with the written word is you don’t have the inflection of a voice . Reading about other teams is part of being a baseball fan just as much as watching other teams play. If you don’t want to read posts that discuss movies , books or whatever that is your choice but why chastize those who do . Why not just ignore them instead ?

Fellow Bloggers,
I haven’t posted in a while, but you may remember that a few months back I was suggesting (repeatedly) that the Jays would likely go south, while the Rays would come north in the standings. Sure there is a lot of baseball still to be played. However, at the end of the day their is no substitute for genuine talent. It will always prevail in the long term. The problem with the Jays is that although they do have some “good” players, they don’t have enough very good or exceptional players that make a difference. Look at Oakland, look at Arizona. These teams no when to trade their assets to get young, up-and-coming future stars. For too long the Jays, like the leafs, have had this mentality that we have to “win now”, meaning that we cannot afford to develop our own young talent, so we will try and buy old talent that is past its prime. It is interesting that the best three players on the current roster are all home-grown talent, and all but one of these were signed by other general managers. Obviously, I have no idea how the rest of the season is going to unfold, but I strongly suggest that if the Jays fall out early, we need to seriously look at trading our assets, including Roy, in order to acquire a crop of first tier prospects from other organizations. Who hear would not trade Toronto’s line up for that of Arizona, straight-up. I want to win as bad as anyone, but this is not the right group to get the job done. Don’t blame the manager. He may make mistakes like all the rest of us. The problem is that the Jays are simply not good enough to win the east or the wildcard.

rshobie.
What the h-e-l-l is the matter with you you insult Jordan and the rest of us all the time nobody wants to be your friend on this blog your to much of a wimp and a creep.
Why is it a low life like you has to try and upset everyone,I think your mother would be very upset if she walked into your batman bedroom and caught you expressing yourself the way your are you must have a bully knocking you around at school good for the bully.
As for Barry Bonds he will never wind up in Toronto,
So long for now winp and you can attack me all you want because I don’t care I just laugh at your post anyway.

Can anyone tell me why Abner left Doc in the game last nite after Ortiz was on first base and then manny reaches base any other manager would have pulled the Doc, Yesterday someone said the Doc would want to stay in the game but it is up to the manager to decide that Abner can not manage the pitchen staff so JP show some guts and fire him now before it’s to late for this team to have a chance.

I agree with Jerodruff, the more I watch this team the more I feel that Bonds would be a huge addition to the lineup. I have to respectfully disagree with most of you guys about the whole “team” thing. Rshobi (even though I didn’t like the rest of what he/she said) made a good point about Barry and the Giants making the playoffs more then the Jays in the last 14 seasons. Jeff Kent was on that team as well and he isn’t exactly the nicest guy. I don’t think anyone will confuse the jays for a serious World Series contender with or without Bonds but at this point I would just be happy that they make the playoffs and Bonds, in my opinion would make it a lot better of a chance.
Adam Lind hasn’t exactly been the saviour that some people here predicted he would be (I mean that figuritively). I’d give them another week and if things don’t change (the way they’re playing) i’ll continue to say that signing Bonds would be the right move while being well aware that what I say really doesn’t matter anyway.

So far this season I really feel that Roy was talking about Rios and Wells in particular when he mentioned the whole getting up for teams we should beat thing.

We don’t need Bonds or anyone else all we need is a manager that will put the proper lineup out there everyday day in and day out and pull the starting pitchers out of the game at the right time never mind the butt kissing, manage to winn the game Abner is not the right person for this job.

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